University of Northern Colorado president announces new administrative positions to address diversity

The University of Northern Colorado will add two new full-time administrators to complete the reorganization of the administration.

University of Northern Colorado President Kay Norton on Tuesday announced three new administrative positions aimed at addressing the university's goal to create a more inclusive, welcoming campus.

In a campuswide email Tuesday morning, Norton said UNC has hired a vice president for campus community and climate and a Title IX coordinator and equity officer, and that the university is launching a national search for an assistant vice president for equity and inclusion.

The positions, Norton said in a phone interview, have been several years in the making.

"It's something I've thought long and hard about," Norton said.

Current Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement and Dean of Students Katrina Rodriguez will shift to the vice president for campus community and climate role starting July 1. Likewise, Larry Loften, who serves as assistant dean of students and director of community standards and conflict resolution, will become the Title IX coordinator and equity officer under Rodriguez effective July 1.

Rodriguez is the first in her family to attend college. She has worked in student affairs at the University of California at Davis, the University of Arizona and California State University at Northridge.

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The assistant vice president for equity and inclusion position also will be under Rodriguez.

The new positions reflect a growing trend in higher education toward creating positions that deal specifically with diversity and inclusion. In many cases, universities appoint one person as a chief diversity officer. One person, Norton said Monday, is not enough.

In campus listening sessions this past fall, Norton talked about the need for an assistant vice president for equity and inclusion. Her decision to hire three people, including a vice president, was not shared with some of the key stakeholders who attended those meetings and voiced concern about campus climate.

"I intend this to be a pleasant surprise and a demonstration of our commitment on how important these issues are," Norton said. "…I really felt very strongly that it's insufficient to have one person."

Officials at the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center and Cesar Chavez Center declined to comment on the announcement, directing questions to Rodriguez, who was not immediately available for comment.

Norton's announcement comes months after the university launched a two-year campus climate initiative, which was started in September and aims to gauge student, faculty and staff feelings on the UNC campus environment and offer solutions to any problems.

It comes, also, after Norton's listening sessions yielded a number of longstanding campus concerns, including the lack of paved parking at the Cesar Chavez Center, a campus salon that doesn't serve all students' needs and the need for meditation and prayer rooms on campus.

Along with those issues, which UNC has already worked to address by announcing paved parking at the Chavez Center, a bid process for a new salon and newly opened meditation rooms at the University Center, Norton pledged in a January email to address diversity in hiring, among other things.

That's one of many job responsibilities for Rodriguez as she transitions to her new vice president role, according to Norton's Tuesday email.

"There will be some additional investment," Norton said. "It's intended to be an investment in making sure we're dealing with things appropriately and that it's important."

The staffing

The University of Northern Colorado will add two new full-time administrators to complete the reorganization of the administration.